Materials handling vehicle obstacle scanning tools
First Claim
1. A materials handling vehicle comprisinga steering mechanism,materials handling hardware,a vehicle drive mechanism,a user interface, andan obstacle scanning tool, wherein:
- the steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, vehicle drive mechanism, and user interface facilitate movement of the materials handling vehicle and materials handled by the materials handling vehicle along a travel path in a warehouse at a vehicle speed SC towards a destination;
the obstacle scanning tool comprises obstacle scanning hardware establishing a scan field, a path filter establishing a filter field, and a performance filter establishing a performance field Pi, and is configured to indicate the presence of obstacles in the filter field and the performance field Pi; and
the obstacle scanning tool executes obstacle scanning logic toestablish the filter field using the path filter,establish the performance field Pi in response to an input performance level Li using the performance filter,scan for obstacles in the filter field and the performance field Pi,execute obstacle avoidance for obstacles detected in the filter field, andexecute a performance level reduction inquiry for obstacles detected in the performance field Pi wherein outcomes of the performance level reduction inquiry comprise reduction of the performance level Li when a performance level reduction is available and execution of obstacle avoidance when a performance level reduction is not available.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A materials handling vehicle comprises an obstacle scanning tool and steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, vehicle drive mechanism, and user interface that facilitate movement of the materials handling vehicle and materials handled along a travel path. The tool establishes a scan field, a filter field, and a performance field, and is configured to indicate the presence of obstacles in the filter field and the performance field. The tool executes logic to establish the performance field in response to an input performance level, scan for obstacles in the filter field and the performance field, execute obstacle avoidance for obstacles detected in the filter field, and execute a performance level reduction inquiry for obstacles detected in the performance field wherein outcomes of the inquiry comprise reduction of the performance level when a performance level reduction is available and execution of obstacle avoidance when a performance level reduction is not available.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A materials handling vehicle comprising
a steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, a vehicle drive mechanism, a user interface, and an obstacle scanning tool, wherein: -
the steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, vehicle drive mechanism, and user interface facilitate movement of the materials handling vehicle and materials handled by the materials handling vehicle along a travel path in a warehouse at a vehicle speed SC towards a destination; the obstacle scanning tool comprises obstacle scanning hardware establishing a scan field, a path filter establishing a filter field, and a performance filter establishing a performance field Pi, and is configured to indicate the presence of obstacles in the filter field and the performance field Pi; and the obstacle scanning tool executes obstacle scanning logic to establish the filter field using the path filter, establish the performance field Pi in response to an input performance level Li using the performance filter, scan for obstacles in the filter field and the performance field Pi, execute obstacle avoidance for obstacles detected in the filter field, and execute a performance level reduction inquiry for obstacles detected in the performance field Pi wherein outcomes of the performance level reduction inquiry comprise reduction of the performance level Li when a performance level reduction is available and execution of obstacle avoidance when a performance level reduction is not available. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A materials handling vehicle comprising
a steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, a vehicle drive mechanism, a user interface, and an obstacle scanning tool, wherein: -
the steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, vehicle drive mechanism, and user interface facilitate movement of the materials handling vehicle and materials handled by the materials handling vehicle along a travel path in a warehouse at a vehicle speed SC towards a destination; the obstacle scanning tool comprises obstacle scanning hardware establishing a scan field, and a path filter establishing a filter field Fi, and is configured to indicate the presence of obstacles in the filter field Fi; and the obstacle scanning tool executes obstacle scanning logic to establish the filter field Fi in response to an input performance level Li using the path filter, scan for obstacles in the filter field Fi, execute a performance level reduction inquiry for obstacles detected in the filter field Fi wherein outcomes of the performance level reduction inquiry comprise reduction of the performance level Li when a performance level reduction is available and execution of obstacle avoidance when a performance level reduction is not available.
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19. A materials handling vehicle comprising
a towing vehicle and at least one trailer towed by the towing vehicle, wherein: -
the towing vehicle comprises a steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, a vehicle drive mechanism, a user interface, and an obstacle scanning tool; the steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, vehicle drive mechanism, and user interface facilitate movement of the materials handling vehicle and materials handled by the materials handling vehicle along a curved travel path in a warehouse towards a destination; a towing configuration of the materials handling vehicle establishes a trailer turning radius r1 that is smaller than a towing vehicle turning radius r2 along curved portions of the curved travel path; the obstacle scanning tool comprises obstacle scanning hardware establishing a scan field and a path filter establishing a filter field, and is configured to indicate the presence of obstacles in the filter field; and the obstacle scanning tool executes obstacle scanning logic to use the path filter to establish the filter field such that the area of the filter field is skewed towards the inside edges of turns along the curved travel path to a degree that is sufficient to account for the smaller turning radius r1 of the trailer and avoid collisions with obstacles along the inside edges of the turns along the curved travel path. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A method of executing scanning logic for a materials handling vehicle, the method comprising:
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moving the materials handling vehicle and materials handled by the materials handling vehicle along a travel path in a warehouse at a vehicle speed SC towards a destination, the materials handling vehicle comprising a steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, a vehicle drive mechanism, a user interface, and an obstacle scanning tool, wherein the steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, vehicle drive mechanism, and user interface facilitate movement of the materials handling vehicle and materials handled along the travel path, and the obstacle scanning tool comprises obstacle scanning hardware, a path filter, and a performance filter; establishing a scan field through use of the obstacle scanning hardware of the obstacle scanning tool; establishing a filter field through use of the path filter of the obstacle scanning tool; establishing a performance field Pi through use of the performance filter of the obstacle scanning tool; scanning with the obstacle scanning tool for obstacles in the filter field and the performance field Pi; executing obstacle avoidance through the obstacle scanning tool for obstacles detected in the filter field; executing a performance level reduction inquiry for obstacles detected in the performance field Pi; executing an outcome of the performance level reduction inquiry to reduce the performance level Li when a performance level reduction is available; and executing an outcome of the performance level reduction inquiry to execute obstacle avoidance when a performance level reduction is not available.
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23. A method of executing scanning logic for a materials handling vehicle, the method comprising:
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moving the materials handling vehicle and materials handled by the materials handling vehicle along a travel path in a warehouse at a vehicle speed SC towards a destination, the materials handling vehicle comprising a steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, a vehicle drive mechanism, a user interface, and an obstacle scanning tool, wherein the steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, vehicle drive mechanism, and user interface facilitate movement of the materials handling vehicle and materials handled along the travel path, and the obstacle scanning tool comprises obstacle scanning hardware and a path filter; establishing a scan field through use of the obstacle scanning hardware of the obstacle scanning tool; establishing a filter field Fi through use of the path filter of the obstacle scanning tool; scanning with the obstacle scanning tool for obstacles in the filter field Fi; executing a performance level reduction inquiry for obstacles detected in the filter field Fi; executing an outcome of the performance level reduction inquiry to reduce the performance level Li when a performance level reduction is available; and executing an outcome of the performance level reduction inquiry to execute obstacle avoidance when a performance level reduction is not available.
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24. A method of executing scanning logic for a materials handling vehicle comprising a towing vehicle and at least one trailer towed by the towing vehicle, the method comprising:
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moving the materials handling vehicle and materials handled by the materials handling vehicle along a curved travel path in a warehouse towards a destination, the materials handling vehicle comprising a steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, a vehicle drive mechanism, a user interface, and an obstacle scanning tool, wherein the steering mechanism, materials handling hardware, vehicle drive mechanism, and user interface facilitate movement of the materials handling vehicle and materials handled along the curved travel path, and the obstacle scanning tool comprises obstacle scanning hardware and a path filter; establishing through a towing configuration of the materials handling vehicle a trailer turning radius r1 that is smaller than a towing vehicle turning radius r2 along curved portions of the curved travel path; establishing a scan field through use of the obstacle scanning hardware of the obstacle scanning tool; establishing a filter field through use of the path filter of the obstacle scanning tool, wherein the area of the filter field is skewed towards the inside edges of turns along the curved travel path to a degree that is sufficient to account for the smaller turning radius r1 of the trailer and avoid collisions with obstacles along the inside edges of the turns along the curved travel path; and scanning with the obstacle scanning tool for obstacles in the filter field.
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Specification